Lovely Weather We're Having
by Katherine A. Jones
Summary: Basically a fluff story in which Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter grow up together. Title doesn't hold much prevalence; I'm just having a hard time titling this and that works. Technically a Modern AU, but if you want to ignore that and place this in the 40's, you can. Contains both pre-serum and post-serum Steve, but no serum.


**Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I posted and this isn't my usual fandom, but I hope at least a few of you read it because this is for my friend Winterose788's birthday! Please go wish her a happy birthday and maybe go check out her stories because she is the sweetest and if you start talking to her, you won't regret it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Steve and Bucky peeked through the bush, staring at the driveway across the street as box after box was being unloaded from a truck.

"Do you think it's a girl or a boy?" Bucky whispered.

"I think a boy because his hair is so short."

"But he's wearing a dress, so it must be a girl!"

"Then why did you ask me?!"

"I don't know!"

Steve pushed Bucky and Bucky pushed Steve back and pretty soon, they had tumbled out of the bush and onto the grass and rolled towards the street, punching and biting and pulling. They stopped, though, when they saw a shadow above them, fearing it was an adult. When they looked up, though, it appeared to be the Person of Undecided Gender from across the street. Yep, definitely a girl.

"_What_ are you two doing?" she asked, hands on her hips.

The boys glared up at her and simultaneously said, "Nothing."

She snorted, "You look like you're fighting." She wrinkled her nose, "You're not fighting, are you?"

Bucky continued to glare, not answering, but Steve was struck by a sudden thought.

"You talk funny."

The girl scowled down at him, "Your hair is funny."

Steve sputtered, not sure where that change of topic came from.

After a moment, Bucky rolled his eyes and untangled himself from Steve before helping his friend up. "Come on, we've got better things to do than talk to a _girl_." He sneered the word like a bad taste in his mouth before grabbing Steve's arm and dragging him off to their backyards, but not before Steve saw the hurt look on the girl's face.

* * *

It was the first day of 3rd grade for Steve and Bucky and they were super excited because they were finally in the same class and would get to spend all day together (as if they didn't already do that).

As they stepped into Mrs. Brown's class, they talked excitedly of all the cool things they would be doing this year, all of the earthworms they would dig up during recess, and all of the pranks they would pull. They froze, however, when they saw the girl that lived across the street from them sitting at one of the tables.

"Do you think we could make a run for it?" Bucky stage whispered in Steve's ear.

Steve peered at him curiously, "Do you still not know how to whisper?"

Bucky scowled and punched Steve, "Shut up."

Before Steve could reply, the teacher called the class to attention and asked them to find their assigned seat and please sit down. Steve and Bucky were annoyed to find that their seats were at the same table as The Girl From Across The Street. They simply carried on their conversation, though, and ignored her.

Steve tuned the teacher out as she started calling role, knowing he would tune back in when she said his name. When he heard the girl across from him say, "Here!" he unexpectedly tuned back in. What was the name the teacher just said? Peggy? How had he gone 3 years of living across the street from this girl and not known her name was Peggy? And now that he looked at her, she was actually kind of cute. He blushed at the thought, but it was true. With her chocolate hair and long eyelashes, she wasn't hard to look at.

He zoned back in when he felt a light blow to the ribs from Bucky and the teacher repeat, "Steve Rogers?"

"Here," he said, hoping no one had noticed his staring.

* * *

Steve focused as hard as he could on writing down the notes, trying to ignore the way his heart fluttered when he heard Peggy ask the teacher a question next to him. It was just a stupid crush, after all. Nothing to get so worked up about.

As often happened when he felt this way, Steve reflected on what had happened to get him to this point. Not long after realizing how cute Peggy was in the 3rd grade, he had realized how few friends she had, so he had offered himself and Bucky as friends for her. After a long time, she hesitantly accepted and they had all been inseparable ever since.

So here he was, crushing on one of his best friends and unable to do anything about it.

Finally, the bell rang and they gathered up their stuff, Peggy falling in beside Steve, before walking out of the room with him.

"I don't understand why Mr. Peter can't just answer the obvious questions in his presentation. It would save everyone confusion and a whole lot of breath."

Steve hummed non-committedly, looking at Peggy out of the corner of his eye and glancing away quickly when she turned towards him.

"Are you going with anyone to the Valentines Day dance?"

Peggy sighed, "Yeah, John asked me." She peered up at Steve curiously, "I thought I told you that."

Steve shook his head, shoving the pain in his chest down, "You might have told Bucky."

Peggy nodded as they entered their next class, finding their seats and taking out their materials. Bucky joined them just before the bell rang, sending Steve a quick look that very clearly said, "We need to talk," before looking ahead to the teacher as she began the lesson.

After class, Peggy headed off to her next class while Steve and Bucky walked together to theirs.

"What's going on, Bucky?" Steve asked.

Straight to the point as always, Bucky asked, "It wouldn't be weird to you if I asked Peggy to the dance, would it?"

Steve flinched like he'd just been slapped, but replied, "I thought John asked her?"

"He did, but Peggy said no."

"Oh. So, why are you asking her, then?"

Bucky gave Steve a funny look, almost like he was checking to see if Steve was okay, "Because I think she likes me."

"Oh," Steve repeated. Now that he thought about it, the two had been making googly eyes at each other recently. He tried to see Bucky as Peggy probably saw him, almost grown into his long limbs and tall frame, handsome face losing its traces of boyhood, and then thought of himself. How short and skinny he was and how he always seemed to be sick. It was only right Peggy should get Bucky. "Um, I guess it wouldn't be weird," Steve replied as he sat down.

Bucky shot him a grateful look as their next class began.

* * *

The summer after 9th grade, Peggy moved back to England.

She and Bucky had broken up from their two and a half year relationship (the longest of anyone their age in their town) on the premise that it would be hard to keep up such a long distance relationship. That didn't stop Peggy from crying, though, when the three said goodbye on her driveway. And if Steve shed a few tears, he was careful to keep them hidden from his friends.

As Peggy and her parents drove away, belongings in tow, Bucky and Steve waved after their car.

"It's going to be weird without her around."

Steve nodded, "It's been what? Ten years since we met her? Seems like just yesterday we were turning our noses up at her and thinking we would never be friends."

Bucky gave Steve a playful shove, "You sound like my mother. You can't go all soft on me, ya hear? I need my best friend in these hard times."

Steve knew Bucky was half-joking, but also knew that he felt the same, so he didn't reply.

"Hey, do ya wanna watch a movie or something?"

Steve shrugged, "Sure."

And so they did. Not long after, Steve threw himself into his schoolwork, sports, friends (Bucky included, of course), and other activities, trying to forget the things he almost had if he had just been a little bit braver and a little bit better looking. It didn't stop Peggy always being in the back of his mind, though.

* * *

"Hey, Steve!"

Steve turned towards the voice, spotting Bucky waving at him. He jogged over, "Hey, what's up?"

"You'll never guess what I just found out."

"Well, if I'm not going to guess, you should probably tell me." Steve grinned as Bucky glared and gave him a shove.

"Peggy's back in town."

That wiped the grin off of Steve's face, "What? Here? Now?"

"Yeah, stupid, of course here now. Now do you want to see her or not?"

Steve jolted out of his stupor, "Yeah, of course."

And so Steve followed Bucky through the crowds of students in their high school, barely recognizing when someone greeted him, totally focused on seeing the chocolate hair again.

"I told you I would find him."

"I didn't doubt you, Barnes."

Steve looked up at the source of the pretty voice, drinking in her smile and her eyes and the way she stretched her neck back just a little when she laughed.

"Nice to see you again, Steve."

Steve swallowed, "You, too, Peggy. How was England?"

Peggy shrugged, "Fine, I guess. I wasn't particularly happy, though, which is why my parents moved back in time for senior year."

Steve nodded a little, his head still not entirely in the conversation.

"So how have you been? You've certainly grown a lot," Peggy chuckled.

Steve looked down at his body. He had, indeed, grown. The past few years of playing any sport he could had given him muscles most guys were jealous of and most girls fawned over. He also wasn't as sick anymore, his immune system finally deciding to do something. He felt like someone Peggy could see as an equal, someone she could see herself dating.

"Yeah, I suppose I have. You're looking good, as well."

Peggy grinned, "Always the gentleman, aren't you?"

"I try," Steve returned with a smile.

"Alright, well, if you two are done making doe eyes at each other, I think that was the bell."

Steve and Peggy turned scarlet but followed Bucky to their next class, the whole way taking sideways glances at each other.

The rest of the day passed in a blur as Steve tried to process that Peggy was, in fact, there to stay. It was also spent making himself more confident and giving himself pep talks because he would be damned if he let Peggy slip through his fingers again.

And so, with that in mind, Steve pushed through the crowds as teenagers hurried to get out of the building, desperately trying to find Peggy before he lost his nerve.

He finally found her talking with Bucky on the second floor, by Bucky's locker. Bucky left with a quiet, "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," or something like that. Honestly, Steve had stopped paying attention to anything going on around him about two seconds after he saw the expressive brown eyes.

"Hey, what's up?"

That kick-started Steve's brain, but obviously not enough because he blubbered, "WouldyouliketogotothemovieswithmethisSaturday?"

"...I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

Steve took a deep breath, let it out, and then asked again, "Would you like to go to the movies with me this Saturday?"

Peggy blinked in surprise and the silence was just starting to get awkward when she replied, "Oh. Um. Yes."

"Wait, what?"

Peggy laughed a little, "I said yes, Steve. Took you long enough."

Steve felt like he should be at least a little offended, but with that smirk quirking up her lips and the playfulness dancing through her eyes, he couldn't really bring himself to it.

And no one was surprised when a few months later, they declared themselves girlfriend and boyfriend. A few months after that, they were going to Homecoming together (Steve Homecoming King and Peggy Homecoming Queen). And a few weeks before they graduated, it was Senior Prom.

And when everyone gathered for their ten year reunion, Steve had Peggy on his arm and Peggy had a diamond ring on her finger.

* * *

**I hope you like this, Rose! It was a lot harder to write than I anticipated, but I still had a ton of fun. Plus, now that I've written this, I might start writing more Marvel fanfics. **

**To the rest of you, please tell me your thoughts, no matter what they are. I love hearing everything. At the very least, please go wish Rose a happy birthday, or leave them in the review box on this and I'll make sure she gets the birthday wishes.**

**Have a great Friday and weekend!**

**-Katherine**


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